Domain VI Reflection:
Educational Leaders in international schools hold a unique responsibility for understanding, respecting and reaching out to the parent community. I have seen parents empowered to take on roles in special R&D teams just for parents and get involved in curriculum by bringing in cultural connections to their home country or their professions. Parents have a high level of respect in the international schools I have worked in and while they do not directly dictate the curriculum they are actively involved in the boards and have a voice in elections and strategic planning. It is essential for educational leaders to understand their community and extremely beneficial to tap into their community as a resource and collaborator in striving for the the best experience in learning for students.
Artifacts:
Cultural Art UnitsOne of the things I love most about teaching international students is exploring their family stories and cultures. Art lends itself so naturally to inviting these conversations and I frequently engage students in a project where they are reflecting on their cultures or their family history and expressing their thoughts, feelings or memories through art. Parents are often involved throughout and thanks to technology I ensure students always have a digital account of their projects and their personal reflections which can be emailed and shared with family all around the world. I encourage students to incorporate their first language and have generated many collaborative projects for our annual Festival of Nations which provide opportunities for students to better understand their own culture and the cultures of their peers.
Resource: Open House Night FlyerCreated for an assignment in this program, the attached flyer is an example of an artifact generated to communicate the school's core values and curriculum in a succinct overview. It is important as an educational leader to be able to articulate clearly to a wide audience of parents the essential components of their child's education.
Intercultural SensitivityPart of understanding the cultures in a school community is being aware of yourself as a leader- your beliefs and experiences and values. I had the chance to reflect on my own intercultural sensitivity as part of this program and have attached the paper below. Taking the time to intentionally reflect on who you are as a leader and how you react to circumstances and cultures is a very important part of being a successful educational leader.
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Parent InvolvementParents are very involved in the international schools I have worked at. From actively dropping in to get a deep understanding of what their child is learning to attending special events at school to celebrate their students' learning, parents are frequently found on campus. I know families play a very important role in our international schools and make a point to include them to events such as the annual art exhibition with a special opening ceremony for parents, the Project-Based learning fair where parents acted as the students' expert critics and even hosted parent art sessions to build community and nurture creativity for families in our community. In particular, the invite I sent to parents very clearly indicated their role in this celebration of learning to be that of a critical observer and to be empowered to ask students questions and challenge them to defend their learning. The parent community really enjoys being an active part of student learning in this way and thoroughly enjoyed the fair. Our maker spaces have even turned into a community event where once a month families come together to tinker make and learn on our Maker Weekends at ASB which has had very positive feedback and attendance.
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